Bottle holder and door knocker



Sept. 21, 1937. M A, .HALPRM 2,093,808"

BOTTLE HOLDER AND. DOOR KNOCKER Filed March a, 1957 Patented Sept. 21, 1937 umrso stares Pica BOTTLE HOLDER AND DOOR KNOCKER Morris A. Halprin, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application March 8, 1937, Serial No. 129,589

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a device which combines in a single construction a door knocker and means to support a milk bottle and lock it against unauthorized removal.

The present invention is of the nature of an improvement upon the bottle holder and lock described and claimed in United States Patent No. 1,992,345 issued February 26, 1935. Said patent discloses a bottle holding and bottle locking means attachable to the door header in such a manner that the withdrawal of the bottle from its support is impossible while the door remains closed, but is permitted when the-customer opens the door. The present invention provides means for supporting the bottle directly upon the door adjacent its jamb and when mounted in such position locks the bottle in its supported position until the customer opens the door, whereupon the bottle is automatically unlocked and, if mounted upon an inwardly opening door, may conveniently be withdrawn from its support by the customer while he or she is within the dwelling. When the device is not in use as a bottle support it serves a useful purpose as a door knocker.

Among other improved features to which the invention pertains are: the provision of a bottle supporting attachment for a door that will support a bottle in a pendant position without any part of the bottle being permitted to rest upon or mar the door; to furnish an improved handy delivery bottle-supporting track along which the mouth portion of the bottle slides as it is moved into and out of the supported position; and to provide an improved combination of aforesaid track element and of a hinge construction for the swinging portion of the knocker.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention will hereinafter appear. A

Referring to the accompanying drawing, which illustrates what is at present deemed to be a preferred embodiment of the invention now reduced to practice,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the device showing the same attached to a door, a milk bottle being supported thereby in a locked condition with its jamb until the door is opened. A portion of the door jamb or casing is shown and also the portion of the door to which the device is secured.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation looking from the right to the left of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross section on line 3--3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the device in its operative position as a knocker.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the device, separately shown.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the device comprises a plate I which is shown secured by screws 8 to the door 9 in proximity to the door jamb l6, and a combined knocker and bottlesupporting-and-locking member ll hinged to said plate I. Said plate 7 is furnished along the central portion of its upper edge with a stationary hinge element 12 with which cooperate the spaced hinge elements l3 carried by the flange M of the hinged member II. The hinge pin 15 completes the hinge structure.

Said flange I4 extends at substantially a right angle to the body portion of the plate ll. One of the bottle track flanges I6 is an inwardly directed extension from the central portion of the flange I4, and said flange l6 cooperates with an incurved, depending extension I! formed at the opposite side of the member II, the milk bottle I9 being supportable by and between said flange l6 and the inwardly directed extremity 20 of said extension ll.

Said parts It and 20 may be regarded as the rails of a bottle guiding and bottle supporting track, said rails being adapted to include between them the headed top portion 2| of the milk bottle shown, or the corresponding part of any bottle having a mouth portion of like size and shape.

When the device is in the bottle supporting position the resilient flange I6 is downwardly and outwardly inclined with its free edge in an outwardly spaced relation to the hinge structure of the device. Hence, at such time, a clearance is provided between this flange and the hinge, to allow the flange to spring farther away from its fellow to accommodate itself to different sized bottle tops.

Between the rails of said track is mounted a downwardly inclined locking member 22 which is preferably formed as a resilient sheet metal tongue having a convexed tip 23 which, when the device is mounted upon the door, is directed towards the free edge of such door. The opposite end portion of said tongue is spot welded or otherwise secured to the underface of the plate II at a point about midway between aforesaid track rails. Said tongue is of a yielding character and is defiectable by the side of the mouth portion of the bottle which first contacts with it as the bottle, while maintained in an upright position, is inserted by a right to left movement, referring to the showing of Fig. 1.

When the side of the bottle which first contacts with said tongue has sufliciently advanced toward the free edge of the door said tongue will spring down into the mouth of the bottle with its convexecl tip portion 23 positioned to contact with the inner periphery of the mouth of the bottle, where it will obstruct the removal of the bottle if it is attempted to withdraw the bottle by moving it in a direction the reverse to that required for its insertion.

The tip portion 20 of the knocker plate is, as shown in Fig. 2, deflected to such an extent that it not only forms a suitable bottle supporting rail, but also forms a suitable knocking element and its edge portion meets the face of the plate I at a very obtuse angle and does not unnecessarily cut into the plate I when operated as a knocker.

The lower end portion 1a of the mounting plate is outwardly deflected to form a bumper for the suspended bottle, thus keeping the bottle from marring the outer surface of the door.

The device should be attached to the door so close to the free edge thereof that, while the door remains closed, the casing member I 0 will effectually obstruct the removal of the bottle by the leftward movement indicated by the arrow 25 in Fig. 1; but'the bottle may readily be removed by such leftward movement when the door is maintained in a sufliciently open position to bring the bottle to an unobstructed position with reference to said door casing member. It will be seen that when the door is mounted to swing inwardly the housewife or other customer may remove the bottle from the opened door while remaining indoors, which is an important advantage during stormy weather.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the subject matter claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A door knocker comprising a. mounting member, and a knocking member hinged to said mounting member, said knocking member being swingable outwardly to a substantially horizontal position and having rails projecting downwardly from it when in such a position, said rails being independent of its hinge and arranged to receive between them when outwardly swung the beaded top portion of a bottle and thereby support such bottle in a pendant manner, said rails forming for the bottle top a separate guide way having a resilient inner rail in a spaced relation to aforesaid hinge.

2. A combined bottle support and door knocker comprising a plate attachable to a door and having an edge portion furnished with a hinge pivot car, a knocker plate having spaced hinge pin ears mounted astride the first recited ear, there being a hinge pin'extending thru all of said ears, said knocker plate having two flanges which form rails that cooperate to receive between them the beaded mouth portion of a bottle, one of said flanges being formed out of the material between aforesaid spaced apart hinge pin ears, the latter flange being resilient and when in the bottle supporting position being downwardly and outwardly inclined with its free edge in a spaced relation to said ears;

3. The subject matter of claim 2 and, said knocker plate having a flange projecting therefrom at. substantially a right angle and said spaced hinge pin ears being formed in the free edge portion of said flange.

MORRIS A. HALPRIN. 

